Any woodworkers?

Try steel wool and vinegar. Leave the steel wool in the vinegar for a day. The next day wipe it on. I'm not sure how aged it will look on pine. Try it on scrap. I put it in a mason jar. Put enough vinegar to cover the steel wool. It turns pretty quick. The more color the wood has, the better it works. It goes on clear but turns in about 10 seconds. Here it is on redwood:

Before:


After:

 

This was pine scraps that I ran a propane torch over:

 

Thanks for all the ideas everyone, i would have loved to try out some different methods like the vinegar or paint or even a torch but the gift was a last minute idea, and i couldn't afford to do it over if i didn't like the end result. So i went with something i am more comfortable with and just went with 2 different stains and a rub on finish. I am pretty happy how it came out. I am going to finish it up now. I think i have to make something similar soon and try some different methods.

 

Nice! Looks like an antique! Good job!

 

looks good!

....should be ready when you carve the date into it in two days

 

Looks good, Evan. Did you use a plunge router on the lettering, or dremel it?

 

Thanks, looks even better now with the "petina" finish, and the gray really stands out in the sunlight

A keyboard. i have a little CNC machine called a carvewright

 

Googly google googling....




*added to wish list*

 

Hi Everyone:

I have a wood playground set that I'm refurbishing for my kids and I have a few questions. I'm hoping folks on here could help. Pardon in advance, as I'm a woodworking noob.

1. Some of the pieces that were touching the ground (and other places) are rotting a bit. I was thinking of replacing these pieces with the pressure treated lumber at HD or Lowes. However, I've been reading about arsenic and other chemicals used for these pieces. Would it be safe for the kids to play on it if I went this route? If not, is there a better alternative like cedar? Some of the pieces are 2x6 and I'm not sure if I can find cedar boards of that size.




2. Also, this beam on top of the ladder seems to be rotting from the inside of the top (bug infestation?):



I'd like to think I could drill out the rot and fill it with an epoxy. Is that possible? If so, what product would you recommend?

3. The ladder on the monkey bar has a big crack in it. I was hoping to use a two part epoxy and some clamps to bring it back together. Not sure if it that would work as a structural repair though:







Anyway, your feedback is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

If you use cedar use a quality outdoor finish and by the time it rots the kids will have stopped using it.
Newer pressure treated is supposed to be less poisonous but bugs will eat it now. And unless the kids are eating its less poisonous than the house.

 

Heck, if he uses good cedar with a quality finish he'll be dead before it rots...

 

Cedar will still rot if it can stay damp just as fast as anything else.

 

He didn't say that he's building the swingset in a swamp...

And Cedar outlasts a lot of varieties of wood for direct ground contact. There's cedar fence posts on my parent's farm that are older than I am. They're untreated and buried directly in the ground, and aren't rotten yet. My family's camp was built in the 30's. It's set on 6 inch cedar posts buried directly in the ground. They've never been treated or replaced, and they're still completely solid.
There's no way that ordinary pine or KD spruce would have lasted anywhere close to that long.

 

Most cedar that was buried is coated with tar or something similar. All wood rots. Conditions affect how long it takes.

 

So does the type of wood. #1 Cedar and #1 pine buried side by side in the ground will rot at different rates. Both will eventually rot, but cedar takes a lot longer to do it.

 

If you go with PT again, look for the "premium grade" stuff. Usually it has fewer knots and a straighter grain so it's less likely to warp and cup. A lot of times it's more resistant to checking, too, and the treatment application is typically better than the standard grade stuff. That board that's got the rotten center? The center is rotting because the chemical treatment wasn't applied for long enough and it didn't penetrate all the way through the board. Drilling and filling it with epoxy or glue likely won't work because the whole board is probably doing the same thing. Buying a new board for $10-20 would be worth it for peace of mind about your kid's safety.
Same goes for that piece with the big split/crack in it. You can probably fix that split with epoxy and clamps, but for what it'd cost you in epoxy you could get a brand new, structurally sound board for a couple extra bucks.

Like Joshua said, they changed the formula for PT so there's no arsenic like there used to be. However, the new formula is a little less resistant to insect damage (probably because they don't spontaneously drop dead from arsenic poisoning, haha!). It's also a LOT harder on fasteners, so definitely use either hot-dip galvanized or stainless nails/screws/bolts. The epoxy-coated screws that you can get now are supposedly safe for PT lumber, but usually galvanized or stainless are recommended.

DEFINITELY use a dust mask and safety glasses while you're cutting or sanding pressure treated. The Copper Quat stuff they use now isn't as hazardous as the old CCA stuff was, but it's still not good for you to breathe in.

 

Wrong o

 

Howdy Oz.
You know a crapton more about this stuff than I do; any suggestions/advice from the expert for Yaozer?

 

I've replaced cedar decks that only lasted 10 years due to being damp and not getting sunlight. I have a lapped plank boat in the shop that was stored outside under a deck with the ends getting damp. Cedar rots.

 

Cedar rots , yes

Cedar doesn't rot " as fast as anything else "